Okihara.
Just so I understand what you’re saying (having correctly picked up my mathematical error in the population ratio), I understand you to be saying that there are roughly 23% fewer hours flown in ‘GA’ per person per annum in Australia compared with the USA (my conclusion being roughly 25%). Is that correct?
Your (and Vag’s) assumption is that the USA figures include the equivalent of that which you’re calling RAAus hours. Is that correct? If yes, what is the basis of that assumption? The FAA website from which I got my 25,212,000 GA hours identifies, separately, “34,200 experimental light aircraft” hours.
On your urbanisation theory, what was different 30 or so years ago? All those little towns a long way from the ‘big cities’ that used to have GA work being done at the local aerodrome - passenger and cargo carriage, flying training and aircraft maintenance - were just that: little towns a long way from the ‘big cities’.
All those businesses didn’t ‘urbanise’. They died. Those who’ve been around a while know what killed most of them.
This during the ‘miracle’ of Australia’s 27 years of uninterrupted annual economic growth. Apparently, we’ve never had it better for so long, economically, but some buffoon in CASA can still attribute the downturn in GA to tough economic conditions. How does that work? Wait until the next recession and double-digit home mortgage rates to see ‘tough economic conditions’!